Naughty Dog Co-Founder To Replace Bilson At THQ

THQ have been through the ringer these past twelve months, and the company have announced that Danny Bilson, EVP of Core Games, is leaving the publisher to pursue other interests. He will be replaced by Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin, who will report directly to CEO Brian Farrell, and will be responsible for THQ’s product development, marketing, and publishing across the globe.

“Jason’s proven track record in the industry speaks for itself, and he is one of the brightest minds in the business,” said Brian Farrell. “We believe he can be a game changer and can contribute immensely to executing on our strategy of delivering quality connected core game experiences."

Alongside Bilson's departure, THQ also announced that Dave Davis, SVP Core Studios, will be leaving too.

“Danny has made significant contributions to THQ, and we thank him for his efforts," said Farrell. "Along with Danny, Dave has been instrumental in getting our strong pipeline into production.”

It would be false to see this move as THQ turning its back on Bilson; if anything it's more likely to have been the other way around, with core titles like Homefront, WWE, Saints Row 3, Darksiders and Metro helping to steady the ship in the wake of the uDraw fiasco. Indeed, if the complaints against Brian Farrell are to be believed, this may only be the tip of the iceberg.